Is anyone aware of any instructional materials on batting drills for tall batters? I coach 16-19 year olds, and we have a few kids who are 6'2"-6'4". We are consistent in our approach to hitting no matter how tall the batter. But these young men, who are growing into their bodies, seem to get jammed a lot, because of their height and their long arms. So, they back off the plate, sometimes way off, and have had some success. But there has to be a better way to approach the pitch. Any thoughts? Thank you. Tim Fedele

Backing off the plate is the first step - as long as they can cover the outside croner. Then, try to keep their swing short & compact. I've seen individuals hit a growth spurt and their swing tends to become "long" and their bat speed decreases.

Work the inside pitch on a tee - short, compact swings. This should help...but then you'll need to work on their patience & the outside corner. They should have the same mindset - fastball in on the plate, then adjust (& wait) for pitches on the outside corner and off speed. This can be difficult (as they're afraid of getting jammed & thinking fastball in), but repetitions in the cage will certainly help.

Hey coach, check out this website, www.teachyourkidbaseball.com. It's a great website that's got a lot of info on youth baseball coaching tips and there are sections working with a variety of different kinds of kids (the klutz, the natural athlete, the lefty, etc) and tips on training the batter, pitchers, and fielders. I've found some really helpful tips and ideas in here that I've been able to take back to my team that I coach. Enjoy!